JOIN RUGBY STAR FOR RIDE TO THE ALPS

Former rugby World Cup winner Steve Thompson is embarking on a 700-mile cycle challenge, riding from Greenwich to Mont Blanc in the Alps.

And ride organiser Eddy Rixon is looking for six more enthusiastic cyclists to join Steve on the challenge, which will raise funds for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research. The ride will kick off in London on August 16 and finish 10 days later in Chamonix.

Thompson, who retired from rugby following a neck operation earlier this year, took up cycling as a means of keeping fit and losing weight.

?When I finished playing rugby, I put on nearly two stone in six weeks. I was speaking to Eddy about the bike ride and I thought that if there was ever a test for me, that was it. I?ve always battled my weight. I?ve found it takes a lot longer to come off than it does to go on,? said Thompson.

?With the ride, I can lose weight and keep fit, but hopefully also make some money and make a bit of a difference.?

Thompson started training with short rides, and has been building up so he can cope with the daily 100-mile routes.

?I?ve been training quite a bit, Dawes cycles have sorted me out with a bike, and I?ve been going out as much as I can,? he said.

For more information on the ride or to sign up, go to http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/bobbymoorefund/getinvolved/events/montblanccycle/. You can sponsor Thompson at http://www.justgiving.com/london2montblanc2.